


All that remains

by twistedrunes



Category: Peaky Blinders (TV)
Genre: Family Feels, Light Angst, Loss of Parent(s), Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-07
Updated: 2018-12-07
Packaged: 2019-09-13 07:22:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16888137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twistedrunes/pseuds/twistedrunes
Summary: A prompted fic:1. Tommy telling Charlie about his mum2. Charlie being jealous that Ruby has both a mum and a dad.





	All that remains

“You need to do something about this now Tommy,” Lizzie says crossly. “Before it goes too far.”

“Alright. I’ll deal with it when I get home.” Tommy agrees, hanging up the phone.

\----------------------------------------

“Mary?” Tommy calls from the hall, stopping to remove his overcoat and cap. 

“Yes, Mr Shelby,” Mary says, appearing seemingly from nowhere.

“Where’s Charlie?” 

“In bed, Mr Shelby.” 

“Right,” Tommy says starting up the steps. Before stopping and coming back down. “How’d he seem today?” 

“Fine,” Mary replies.

“Not upset or angry?”

“He did seem a little quiet, and he didn’t say goodnight to his mother,” 

Tommy rubs his hand over his face “Fuck.” 

“Thank you, Mary,” Tommy says beginning his ascent of the stairs again. 

Tommy knocks on the door of his sons’ room. “Charlie? You awake?” He says sticking his head around the door.

“Yes,” Charlie says quietly.

Tommy crosses the floor and sits on the edge of the bed “So how was school today?” He asks.

“Fine,” Charlie says.

“Learn anything interesting?”

“No, and I’m not going anymore,” Charlie says grumpily.

Tommy struggles to keep the smirk from his face. “And why’s that then?”

“Don’t need it,” Charlie says defiantly.

“So what are you going to do for work then?” Tommy humours him.

“I’ll work with Uncle Finn in the betting shop,” Charlie replies.

“You’ll need to get a bit better at your letters and numbers first,” Tommy says kindly.

“I can count to ten, and I can write my name,” Charlie argues his case.

“So why is it you don’t want to go to school again?” Tommy asks not wanting to get bogged down in a debate of what level of literacy was required to work in the betting shop.

“Everyone is stupid, especially Ruby. Ruby is the stupidest girl to ever live.” Charlie says defiantly.

“But Ruby’s only little,” 

“Don’t care. She’s stupid, and I hate her.” Charlie says, scowling.

“Hey, now you don’t talk about your sister like that.” Tommy chastises him.

“Half-sister,” Charlie says crossly.

“Well she’s still your sister, and so you can’t hit her,” Tommy says firmly.

“I didn’t hit her, I pushed her,” Charlie argues.

Just like his mother, always looking for the technicality, Tommy thinks fondly “Well pushing is a kind of hitting. Remember we don’t hit people, do we? Especially people smaller than us.”

“Uncle Finn and Uncle Arthur do.” Charlie counters.

If only Grace were here, she’d know how to deal with this Tommy thinks as he sighs. “Well, they would never hit Aunty Ada.”  

“She made the other kids laugh at me.” Charlie offers as justification.

“What did she say?” Tommy asks, giving up on trying to explain to his son why he shouldn’t hit people. He wasn’t exactly in a position to say anything, was he?

“She said I don’t have a real mummy so I talk to pictures, and all the other kids started talking to the pictures in the books in the library and calling them mummy and asking them for kisses and cuddles,” Charlie says in a rush, his lip trembling and his eyes brimming with tears. “And they were showing me the pictures of the cars and trucks and animals and asking if they were my mummy.” He finishes as a tear rolls down his eyelashes and splashes on his cheek.

Tommy brushes the tear aside with his thumb. His chest tightening at the sight of his boy so heartbroken. He wraps his arm around him. “Charlie boy, you had a real mummy, and she loved you very, very much. More than anything in the world.” Tommy says softly.

“More than anything? Even chocolate?” Charlie asks.

“More than the best chocolate you’ve ever tasted,” Tommy says. “More than the horse’s love apples and sugar lumps.” He pulls Charlie in closer to him settling himself back against the headboard. “When you were a baby, your mummy would sing you songs and when she sang the birds would stop singing, just to listen.”

Charlie rests his head against Tommy’s chest, listening to the familiar tales. “What else daddy?”

“She was the most beautiful woman in the whole world. If she went out at night, the stars would go out just so they could see her.” Tommy adjusted his arm slightly feeling Charlie begin to relax. “She was so kind and gentle that when she walked in the woods, all the little creatures would come out and walk with her.”

“Even the bunny’s daddy?”

“Especially the bunnies.”

Charlie nods. “Daddy?” He asks.

“Yes, son?”

“Can I go say goodnight to mummy now?”

“Of course, quickly now.” Tommy says standing as Charlie scrambles out from under the covers, “Slippers on.” He instructs picking up Charlie’s dressing gown and helping him into it. Hand in hand they walk down the hall and down to the landing.

“Sit down daddy,” Charlie instructs, waiting for Tommy to settle on the stairs, back against the balustrade before climbing up into his lap. “Hello, mummy,”


End file.
